Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset Review – It works… Sometimes

The Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset is great when it works but unfortunately, it’s highly dependent on the size of the handset.

Virtual Reality headsets only really to do three things right: hold the phone in place, provide a good fit and offer a decent VR experience. The Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset manages all three, depending on your device. For something which costs very little, you can hardly expect premium quality. Taking it out of the box, the headset feels sturdy enough with a plastic finish and comfortable foam face-pads. A strap fixes it around the head and the fit is very secure, with no give in the headset. The eye-pieces seem a bit cheap and plastic but at least it has variable adjustment, something that other VR headsets don’t necessarily have.

It says on the box that the Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset can take devices anywhere from 3.5-inches to 5.7-inches… and this is where things start to go a little south. First of all we tried it with the Huawei Nova, a 5-inch device that’s a little on the small side. The handset fitted into the cradle no problem but it was obvious that there was a glaring design flaw. The cradle seems to obscure volume and power buttons, making the handset constantly switch off and/or go crazy with the volume. Trying out various VR material, we then encountered another problem. The headset just couldn’t focus on the screen, with everything coming out blurry. We quite quickly developed a headache and moved onto a larger handset in the hope of fixing the issue.

Trying with a larger 5.5-inch device, the BLU Vivo 6, we just about managed to avoid the issue with a slight bit of clearance on the buttons. Trying the headset on this time was a completely different experience. We managed to get everything in focus and found the whole thing very enjoyable. It seems that despite claims of the headset holding devices anywhere from 3.5-inches to 5.7-inches, you really need a bigger device to get the best experience.

Aside from this, there’s very little else to say about the Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset. It’s comfy and works well, providing you have the right device to accommodate it. Unfortunately it’s claims of being a ‘one size fits all’ headset seem to be completely false, which is why we can’t really recommend it.

Verdict

When it works, it works. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to find handsets which provide an optimal experience. This makes the Polaroid Virtual Reality Headset a few points short of being something you can count on for a reliable VR experience.